The accounts of these persecutions are heart breaking – as people lived constantly under the threat of exposure, which meant the loss of everything – which could include physical torture – which could end simply enough with the rejection of Christianity and swearing of allegiance to Roman and Nero. This is not only a 1st century issue.
See report Summary “Severe intensification of arrests and imprisonment of Christian in Iran?
(http://www.elam.com/Editor/assets/Recent%20arrests%20in%20Iran%20-%20briefing%20document%20final.pdf)
Reading through this document sounded like I was reading one of Paul’s letters 2,000 years ago. I bring this up as we enter our in the book of Philippians because, often when we read these passages, we come to them from our own context – Canadian, democratic, free, protected – without fear, and with little real cost to life.
As we listen to these words of Paul to the Christian of Philippi, there is much for us in his words, but – we need sweep aside our Canadian curtain and attempt to enter a different and foreign world to us, but perhaps not so different and foreign the majority of Christian around the world today. What it does for me is raise a number of questions.
1:2 – My God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ GIVE YOU GRACE AND PEACE
My question is, how do I interact with these words. What is the timeless call for all “God’s holy people” – of which I’m and you one.
What do I take from what I can know about the realities of 61 A.D. that caused Paul to write these words.
What do I take from the realities that in many parts of the world, this reality of 61 AD is no different in intensity and tribulation.
What do I take from reality that I, do not live in A.D. 61 or in one of those parts of the world.
1:1… slaves of Christ Jesus
What does it mean for me to be a slave of Christ – here and now – today – tomorrow? For Paul, and for the Christians of 61 A.D., for the Christians in many places around the world today, it means that the reality and necessity to live my life first for the kingdom of God rises above the realities and circumstance of my present life.
It forces me to consider that regardless of my present situation, circumstance, position or state – good, bad or otherwise it’s not my situation, circumstance or state that is to be my first concern – but how I am to be slave to Christ’ in it. It is what causes Paul to declare in Gal 2:20
“I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me”
It means that I so engage with the gospel, that I see my life, not as my own, but as His – my present circumstance and situation are his, and my only purpose is to be a faithful witness of His in the midst of it.
That said, I realized how far I have yet to go – so much of me still lives – I have so much yet to put to death – my attitudes of self, my self absorbed ambitions desires, my fleshly longings. In verse two “Grace to you and peace from God, Father of us all and Lord Jesus Christ”. Once more, we consider the context of intense persecution and martyrdom of past and present –
Grace and peace comes from outside ourselves, and is gifted into our beings. Contrary to the idea of finding inner peace, and that affecting the outer being – Paul here reverses that idea – grace and peace is not to be subjectively sought and found from within – but received and lived out objectively. Again, irregardless of the circumstance, situation or presenting issue – I must open myself to permit God’s grace and peace to break through me into the matter or concern or problem. Psa 23 “You prepare a feast for me in the presence of my enemies”, comes to mind. The enemy, problem or crisis is not removed, I’m granted peace in the midst of it.
1:3 every time I think of you I give thanks….
Paul could have been, maybe we think he should have, been using all his time praying about is own condition and deliverance – yet, that certainly does not seem to be the case – in fact we discover a little later in this letter, that Paul considers his present state (whether in prison or released) as a benefit to a) demonstrated the power of God in action through him to others, and b) as tool for the advance of the gospel.
We get stuck – I get stuck thinking about my own small world – and in the reality of the Kingdom of God, so many of things I obsess over and get entangled in amount to little in the scheme of eternity. I must lift my eyes above the tiny kingdom of Neil which I am the king, and constant feel I need to defend against the little kingdoms of king of queens of you all --- Paul says he engages in this attitude and behaviour of thanks because together, we together are partners of the gospel – God is OUR King, Jesus is OUR Lord and WE are HIS slaves. WE exist, our present condition, situation, concern is to be a tool in His hand for the advancement of His gospel. We are partners in advancing the gospel to each other, as well as, with whomever we have contact.
Our final consideration for our reflect is on the verse so many use as and encouragement and hope.
“Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ”.
Is His work in you done? Are you doing the work or is He? What’s His purpose? It is that his work may be made complete in you. What is that work? That you might be a stronger more complete christian – which originally was meant as an insult meaning “ little slaves of Christ” That phrase, “be confident of this” could be kinda scary for us as well – He will do a good work in us. He will keep at it, until it reach completion in spite of us.
We return to our larger vision of this – for those at Philippi in the 1st century, for those in Iran, Egypt, China, and on and on – even though their lives may be poured out as a drink offering upon the ground– even though in the immediate eyes of the onlooker it may seem all for naught – as waste. It is not.
God has a good work to complete, in us together, far more than what may first meet our eye – we are partners with God in that good work – He’s using each of us to advance that good work in each other – and in the lives those that both serve and are served in the Province of Ontario, and around the world.
Anyway, I was just thinking...
Neil
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